45 comments:

My heart has always been more attracted to the mountains then to the ocean but perhaps I need to reconsider given my love of sea food! You have once again created a culinary masterpiece! Have a great weekend!

Glad you got away and got a little breathing room...the beach is always a good get away!

You need to try some soft shelled crabs. They're harvest while they're molting and in the soft state. You remove the lungs, face and sand gland and cook them whole...yum! I doubt that you can find them. If you can't, I'll get you some next spring.....let me know

As a Maryland boy I can't imagine not having blue crab. It is by far my favorite sea food, not to mention Old Bay! They are a lot of work but the richness of the backfin meat is well worth the effort. I am so spoiled by blue crab that I almost never eat any other crab, so I very rarely visit Joe's Crab Shack, Red Lobster etc, because they are not on the menu.If you choose to join us at Memphis in May, I will do up a big ol' pot of North Atlantic Blues, grill up a few more and if we are lucky even a couple of peelers (soft shells).

I have to admit from the looks of your photos you know how to fix up some tasty crustaceans.

Nice, I never thought of blue crab on the grill! I usually boil or steam them. I know what you mean about the smell. sound and feel of the Gulf. I'm about a mile from the Gulf, hate being away from the salt smell for long. Sorry about your loss, the water will sooth it though.

hold on a minute girl u can visit , but we ain't letting go of you just yet , lots of smoking and grilling knowledge left to pick from yer brain , glad you had time to relax and recharge , welcome home , Jim Wade

Hi Jeanie, I love the beach too, it has a calming effect & is good for the soul. I am up getting ready to pu 2 pork butts on, 17 lbs, at 1 am. Sure wish I had that shrimp & crab plate right now, a good mid-night snack! Good photos. Don

Looks like a real feast and glad you had a soothing experience. When I lived in South Jersey, crabs were a regular food item and I always thought I used more energy getting to the meat than I got from it. I think it was mostly about the beer drinking that went with them anyway.

Dave thanks! :) I've been to California maybe twice and flew over it once. I was in the LA area...it was a bit crowded for me. I'd love to see other areas though. I did get to go fishing off the coast of Catalina Island... it was so nice. :)I love crab meat too.. It is one of my favorites! :)

Capt. Ron those sound wonderful! I've heard of soft shelled crabs but have not tried those either. I will look for them in the store next spring, see if they are available here. Thanks so much for your kind offer. :)(((HUGS)))

Marc that sounds so tempting! I'd love to go to Memphis in May sometime.. I can imagine how much fun that would be. So many talented smokers like yourself. I would learn a lot!A pot of blue crabs and I would be in heaven. :)Thanks for the offer Marc, I will definately consider it. :)

Don it sounds like you are going to have a nice feast today! I think I smell the pulled pork right now. :)I haven't stopped thinking about your cajun crackers too.. I need to make some soon!The beach was nice.. wish I could have been there for a nicer reason but it did my soul some good. Thanks Don!

Growing up as a kid in Jersey, one of the things I looked forward to every summer was going crabbing with my uncle and cousins. We would use handlines and catch bluecrabs by the basketfull. You just brought back some great memories. Glad you got some ocean therapy. I could use some salt air myself about now.

AZdesertFarmer, your childhood sounds great. To catch bluecrabs with handlines must have been fun.I imagine the feast that followed was amazing! :) I would enjoy trying that someday. :)Glad to hear the post brought back good memories for you! This was my first taste of bluecrabs, I really liked them.Hope you are able to head to the ocean sometime. I know I just got home but would love to go back for a longer stay.

Too bad we can't claim you here in Northern California. One and a half hour from the ocean and about the same from the beautiful Sierra's. Plus a lot of room here to start a new ranch and new beginnings! Of course we do a lot of bbq here also and do a pretty good job of it! One thing we could use here though is a great resturant with your all around cooking skills!

Hi Jon, Good to see you. :)Your area sounds perfect. Just the right distance from both water and mountains. I imagine your climate is nice too...I've not been to that part of California. Room for a small ranch too huh? It's starting to sound really good! lolI'd be too busy enjoying the beach and mountains to work in a resturant but I'd definately continue cooking for friends. :)

Forgot to mention that S.F. is just an hour or so away along with the great ocean fishing available. Like you mentioned, it is nice to feel the cool ocean breeze on your face. You must know we have some of the best tasting crab here, right? Ha! Plus a lot of activities here with wild game hunting and maybe entice you with some white water trips also?

Jon that sounds so nice. Fresh seafood (crab is my favorite), fishing and even hunting. I didn't think about the availability of hunting ground there. I suppose you don't get Oklahoma weather either? Tornado season is not my favorite time of the year. :)I have never tried white water rafting. It does sound like a lot of fun though.Next time I'm out your way I will check out the northern part of the state. Sounds really nice!Thanks again Jon. :)

The shrimp and crab look tasty! Would have responded sooner but I've been hiding up in the mountains for the past four days. Had to get out of this desert for a while. I know what you mean about the sand and surf, it has a very soothing feeling. Sounds like your coping with your loss well, or as well as one can. It's alway's tough. Saw your post about the contest, voted for you, don't you even think about stopping. Oop's, did I type that out loud :), Another Chris

Chris welcome back and thanks! :)4 days in the mountains really sounds great. I hope you had a nice vacation. :)The ocean was soothing...and I am doing ok, keeping busy helps keep my mind off things.Thanks for voting in the contest, I appreciate it. I'm also glad to hear you enjoy my blog. I probably will still be here in a year..unless I strike it rich and buy a deserted island. :)I have enjoyed meeting so many people from around the world through my blog. There are a lot of good people in the world.

Going to try to get one more campout in next weekend. Wish I were going to the mountains like you did! Thanks again Chris.. welcome back, it's nice to see you!

Jeanie, Jon's right...Northern California is the place to be. From the Bay Area north it just gets prettier and prettier. My parents were from Fort Bragg there by the Mendicino coast, smack in the middle of redwood country. And if you just keep going north, by the time you get to Washington, you'll think you're in a picture post card!Dave~

Dave I just googled Fort Bragg and the Mendicino area.. looks beautiful!! You and Jon have just about convinced me to take a good look at northern California.The only place I have been was the Los Angeles area (which was too crowded for me. I'm sure LA is nice... but not for me.

I think Dave and I are going to convince you to come to Northern California for an extended visit! I had spent many years in Ft. Bragg, but have relocated to the Sacramento area since. I do miss seeing the ocean everyday and my next door neighbor that had an unlimited supply of fresh fish as he worked on a commercial fishing boat. I think I took it for granted while I was there, but it is nice to get out of the city life here and get back to a slower pace and nature for a few days every year. The Sacramento central valley area is very attractive due to the short time to the mountains or the ocean as I mentioned previously before, and we are close to a lot of outdoor activities here. We just may see some photos on your blog in the coming years with some fresh venison or bear meat from a snowshoe hunting trip in the Sierra's - ha!Plus if you make a trip here, be sure and take a couple of days for some camping, fishing, and hiking in the redwoods along the Northern part of Hwy 101 as it is a lifetime experience! I do hope you get some rain in your area as I have friends and family in east Texas and Oklahoma.

haha... Jon you are right! You two have almost convinced me to pack up and move. :)It sounds like you had it made..living so close to the ocean and being friends with a commercial fisherman. As much as I love fresh seafood, sometimes I wonder how I ended up here. :)If I make it back to your state I will definately take a look at the northern area, and do some camping.Thanks for the advice. :)

Now I'm day dreaming of snowshoe hunting in the Sierras. lol Sounds great to me! Thanks Jon...

Ok first off I'm sorry for your loss. Second as much as i'd like for you to live in pensacola... or by some other old beach. i have a few names for you. Katrina, Ivan, Andrew, or going old school....Camille. you can come visit but buy a lake house...lol Buddy

Thanks Buddy :)I've thought about hurricanes. Keep thinking that they are bad but you have at least a week of warning, compared to living in tornado alley where they pop up on you in a second. Not sure which is worse.Both destroy lives and property.

I think I was born at the wrong time.. I would love to be a barnstormer and just fly around the country, see it all. :)I always wanted to be a bush pilot in the far north too. So many choices.... lol

Operation BBQ Relief

About Me

Born and raised in the country, I Love wide open spaces.
Enjoy camping, fishing, hunting, and any form of outdoor cooking, hot, warm and cold smoking. Preserving what I hunt, catch, raise or forage. I enjoy being able to provide food for my table.
I'm thankful for each day and will never take anything for granted.
Thanks for stopping by!

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